Chapter 3 – Return to Konoha

Naruto couldn't help but smile as he stared into the distance at his home village of Konohagakure. It had been exactly three years since he had last stepped foot in the village, and he was looking forward to going home. Well, for the most part he was. Another part of him was feeling apprehensive about going home due to the fact that he was smarter now and he knew that as soon as he returned, he'd be going right back to the looks of hatred, the abuse of his female teammate, and the laziness of his jonin sensei, Kakashi Hatake. There were numerous things he was just not looking forward to about his return, just as there were things he was happily looking forward to.

With a light sigh, Naruto looked around at all of his companions: Rikku, Meru, Yang, Blake, Towa, and Jiraiya. Smiling at each of them, Naruto couldn't help but think about the last year they had spent together. An entire year had been spent on Mount Myoboku with each of them training in something different. An entire year had passed, and each of them was so much stronger than they were before they had visited the sacred mountain of the Toad summons.

Naruto had learned how to enter Sage mode, but that had only taken him a month to master. The rest of the time on Mount Myoboku was spent furthering his mastery of Sage mode so he could enter it at a quicker pace. Aside from that training, he also continued to train in his taijutsu, ninjutsu, magic, and even learning how to break out of and sense genjutsu. By now, he was a damn powerhouse and was even considered a one-man army of sorts.

Rikku had learned how to use black magic and gun magic to mimic some of the jutsu used by Naruto and Jiraiya. She had also improved upon her dresspheres, learning abilities that she didn't know they had before. Originally, she had mastered each of her dresspheres during her journey across Spira, but after coming to this world, she had discovered so much more was available to her. Aside from that, she had been improving her speed and especially her strength. She didn't want to feel weak compared to the others, and so she was now able to cut through stone and even steel with her weapons, even in her standard Thief dressphere.

Meru had continued to practice with her Wingly magic in an attempt to further her mastery of her people's magic. After all, she had gone so long in her world without using that magic that she wanted to get used to it once again. But more than that, she practiced transforming into a Dragoon outside of battle. Now Meru could transform out of battle and maintain her transformation for days if need be. It was now pretty much second nature to her. On top of that, she had even begun learning new Dragoon magic spells that weren't available to her before. Finally, Meru had even begun to learn new Additions with the help of Naruto and Jiraiya.

Towa had been training extensively with all of her magic, especially her time magic. Originally she only had three time magic spells available to her, but now she had a wide variety of time spells that she had access to and would gladly use to keep her loved ones safe. She had also learned many new elemental magic spells and had even practiced mixing them together to perform Chemistry magic as she did during her journey with Toki and Zack. Now she was able to flawlessly and quickly perform Chemistry magic within seconds rather than having to take the time to charge up her spells beforehand.

Blake and Yang had begun studying under Jiraiya in the art of ninjutsu. While they didn't have a chakra network, they believed that, with plenty of practice, they could manipulate their Aura in a way that would allow them to use jutsu, albeit weaker versions of it, against their enemies. While it wasn't exactly the same, they did eventually learn how to do this, and it was made easier with the use of fuinjutsu.

Jiraiya and Naruto had devised a seal by working together to convert Aura to Chakra to allow both Blake and Yang to utilize jutsu. These seals were place on the palms of the girls' hands. After these seals were placed successfully, Yang and Blake had been taught the various hand seals required to utilize jutsu and had begun to learn a variety of jutsu courtesy of all the scrolls Naruto had been studying from. As of this moment, they had each learned a number of jutsu, but they couldn't use anywhere near the amount that Naruto and Jiraiya could.

Yang and Blake had also been studying hand-to-hand combat under Jiraiya because he was so much more experienced than they were. While Blake was proficient in using her weapon, she didn't feel as confident in basic taijutsu combat without her Gambol Shroud. Yang, on the other hand, felt that she could truly benefit from learning under Master Jiraiya, and so was glad to just study under such an experienced master.

Finally came Jiraiya. Jiraiya, despite already being an incredibly talented shinobi, knew that his Sage mode wasn't perfect. Seeing his godson learn and master Sage mode as easily and quickly as he had sparked something in the older male. As a result of this, Jiraiya resumed his studies under Master Fukusaku and proceeded to spend the year mastering his Sage mode. It took almost seven months, but Jiraiya was now as proficient in Sage mode as his godson was and he was only going to continue improving upon it. Still, he would continue to call upon Fukusaku and Shima to assist him when in battle.

At the moment however, Naruto couldn't help but think about one moment in particular that brought a bright smile to his face. Looking into Rikku's face, he reached out to her and gently took her hand in his. Giving it a gentle squeeze, he looked into her eyes and blushed a bit. "Rikku-chan…I really hope you like it in Konoha."

"I'm sure I will sweetheart. But if anyone dares to try anything, we're pranking the hell out of them. Got it?" Rikku said with a smirk stretching at her lips. She leaned into her boyfriend of six months and kissed his cheek as they both reminisced about the day they became a couple.

Flashback

Rikku couldn't help but frown as she sat curled up on a rather large tree branch on Mount Myoboku. She was lost in her memories of her past in Spira and wanted to be left alone at the moment. However, it just wasn't meant to be.

It was currently the dead of night and most of the group were sleeping out under the stars. Somebody, however, had seen Rikku leaving the group to wander off on her own. Concerned about her, this person had followed after her and had been watching her for some time now. When tears began to roll down her cheeks, this person made their presence known.

Walking over to her, Naruto placed his hand upon her shoulder, causing her to jump and scream loudly in fright. Chuckling softly, Naruto apologized a few times before sitting down beside her on the tree branch. "Rikku-chan? I couldn't help but notice you were crying. What's wrong? Were you thinking about your friends?"

Pouting for a moment, Rikku leaned back against the tree and thought about what she could say. On one hand, she could deny it and close herself off. On the other, she could come clean and tell Naruto the truth. It might help to get it all off my chest. With a shrug of her shoulders, Rikku sighed and nodded her head.

"Yep. I was just thinking about Yunie and Tidus. I've already told you before that I loved Tidus and was jealous of Yunie. I also told you about how that makes me feel guilty. Well, I didn't tell you that Yunie's my cousin. I travelled with them and a bunch of other people. We saved our world from Sin and then from Shuyin and Vegnagun. Our journey was fun, but at the same time it was sad, and so many other things. I just…I miss everyone, y'know? I feel like I need to apologize to Yunie, even though she didn't know about my feelings and I didn't ever tell Tidus about how I felt. It's all so confusing."

Naruto couldn't help but notice that Rikku kept talking in the past tense when she was referring to her feelings for Tidus. As she rambled on, he reached over and placed a hand gently upon her shoulder. "Rikku-chan, I can't help but notice that you're talking about your feelings for Tidus in the past-tense. That signifies to me that you've had enough time to get over him. That's a good thing. You can move on from him and be happy with somebody new, somebody that can make you just as happy as your cousin Yunie is. You deserve to be happy Rikku-chan."

Turning her head to look into Naruto's eyes, Rikku reached up and wiped at her tears. "What do you mean Naruto? I feel like such a horrible person for having feelings for the same guy Yunie loves. Or at least…I did. I'm not so sure anymore."

Shaking his head, Naruto wrapped an arm around Rikku and hugged her close to him. "It's okay. You can't control how you feel about someone Rikku. What's important is that you've moved on from him. If it helps…how about I tell you about my unrequited love, hm?"

Blinking in shock at this, Rikku turned her head slightly to look up into her blonde friend's eyes. "You have an unrequited love as well? Tell me! How did you get over her?!"

Chuckling a bit, Naruto shook his head and stared up into the night sky. "Damn that's a beautiful sight." Naruto muttered aloud and directed his dear friend's sight upwards. When she looked up, Rikku couldn't help but nod her head in agreement before she remembered what Naruto said and smacked his chest.

"Don't change the subject! Tell me you meanie!" She shouted at him. When he simply smirked at her, Rikku couldn't help but giggle a bit in response. "Please?"

"Sure Rikku-chan, no problem." Naruto said with a broad smile on his face. Before he could stop himself, the blonde male placed a gentle kiss on Rikku's forehead. Upon realizing what he did, both teens blushed brightly and quickly glanced away from one another.

In an effort to calm down their hormones, Naruto decided to begin his tale. "Umm, anyways." Coughing to regain his composure, he continued on. "There's this girl named Sakura Haruno back in Konoha. I…well…for the longest damn time I had this crush on her. I've tried to be nice to her and help raise her self-esteem. She used to be picked on for her large forehead, but I think it's a beautiful feature of hers, y'know?" Seeing his friend nod in understanding, Naruto smiled at her.

"Anyways, as I said, I thought she was a beautiful girl, both inside and out. But…she would never notice me." Sighing sadly to himself, Naruto resumed staring at the stars in the sky. "She, like so many other girls in the village, became fixated on that asshole Sasuke Uchiha."

Rikku's eyes widened at this and she looked up into her friend's eyes. "Wait, isn't that the guy that you promised to bring back to the village? The one we had to convince you was beyond salvation?" She asked just to make sure she had it right.

Nodding his head, Naruto looked back into Rikku's eyes, a sad expression on his face. "Yep. It…sucks. Sakura used to be a nice girl before she joined the ranks of the fan girls. Whenever I asked her out or just tried to talk to her or get her attention…or anything really…she'd beat me up. I mean that literally by the way, she'd beat me up pretty severely sometimes. And yet I was so stupid I didn't give up. I thought I loved her. I just wanted to make her happy. That's all I wanted. But…"

Rikku frowned at this and hugged Naruto tightly as he appeared to be becoming more depressed by the minute. "It's okay. You don't have to say anymore."

Shaking his head, Naruto smiled as he stared into the sky again. "No…it's best that I get this off of my chest." Taking a deep breath in and letting it out slowly, Naruto continued on again. "We were put on a team together with Sasuke. Our sensei was a lazy jackass that didn't bother teaching us much of anything besides teamwork exercises that did NOTHING to improve our teamwork and the tree-climbing chakra control exercise. That's all he taught Sakura and me. Meanwhile he taught Sasuke more than either of us. But that's not the point of this story."

Taking another deep breath, Naruto took a moment to look at Rikku and smiled sadly. "She continued her cycle of abuse while on the team. And I still didn't learn my damn lesson. Fast forward a number of months and we get to the Chunin Exams. We encountered Orochimaru in the Forest of Death and he gave Sasuke his curse seal. Even then, even with Sasuke becoming darker than ever before, Sakura was still all over him and I was never in her mind."

Looking down at his hands, Naruto sighed sadly. "During the invasion, I saved Sakura from Gaara when Sasuke couldn't do anything. I fought so hard to save her life and protect the village from a rampaging jinchuriki…and even then her feelings towards me didn't change. It was always, always Sasuke. And then…then came the Sasuke Retrieval mission. Sakura…" Feeling tears stinging at his eyes, Naruto hugged Rikku closer as he began to sob. "It hurts to even think about it. She made me promise to bring Sasuke back to her no matter what. Sasuke left of his own free will, and we were ordered to bring him back, pretty much alive or dead…but I made that stupid fucking promise to bring him back to her because I couldn't bear to see her so sad. Because I thought I loved her."

Rikku frowned at this and reached up to gently wipe away her good friend's tears. "Naruto…why didn't you ever tell us that that's why you made such a stupid promise? You should have opened up to all of us sooner. It's been tearing you up inside all this time!"

Chuckling bitterly to himself, Naruto shook his head and clenched his eyelids shut. "I feel so stupid Rikku-chan. I didn't want to admit it out loud that what I thought was love was just me being a dumb, stupid little moron. I…I didn't know what love was before. Nobody…ever wanted to teach me. I was emotionally, mentally, and physically stunted in that village. I can't believe it took me so long to see it."

Frowning at what she just heard, Rikku resumed wiping away Naruto's tears and kissed his cheek. "Naruto, please…talk to me. What's wrong? And…what do you mean you didn't know what it was before?"

Laughing softly to himself, Naruto shook his head and looked his dear friend in the eyes. "Rikku-chan…I understood familial love well enough, but not romantic love. But…I do think I've come to understand that feeling now. When I'm around a certain someone these days, I can't help but feel these butterflies in my stomach. I feel warm and happy when I see her smiling, and it hurts when she's sad. All I want to do is make her smile, and when it feels like I can't, it tears me up inside. It's nothing like that stupid crush I had on Sakura before. This? This I know is love."

Smiling happily at this, Rikku felt herself getting all giddy and bubbly at the thought of her friend being in love with somebody in their group. So, feeling naturally curious about who he might have feelings for, she decided to probe him for an answer. "Ooooh! Who? Who's the lucky girl, big guy? You should definitely tell her! I bet she'll be one happy camper when she finds out that you've fallen for her! You're a really great guy!"

Chuckling at this, Naruto quirked a brow and looked into Rikku's eyes. Rather than just flat out telling her how he felt, the spiky-haired individual leaned in and captured her lips with his own. Caught off guard, the bubbly thief's eyes widened significantly before she found herself closing them and returning Naruto's kiss.

As the thief wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck, she couldn't help but blush deeply as his hands found their way to her waist. She was lifted off of the tree branch and plopped into his lap as they began to probe each other's mouths with their tongues. When they finally broke apart, a small string of saliva connecting them, they both couldn't help but muttering a single word, "Wow."

When they both started giggling, they hugged each other close and kissed each other's cheeks. "Rikku…I love you. I want to make you happy. I like seeing you smile and whenever you're sad, it hurts me inside. I…I really want to be with you. So…will you let me be your boyfriend?"

Blushing fiercely, Rikku looked down at her lap and began to poke her index and middle fingers together nervously. "I-I've never had a boyfriend before. I didn't think I'd find myself falling for anyone again after Tidus, but then…then I met you Naruto. I…I think I'm falling for you too. So…yes. I'd love to have you as my boyfriend."

Cheering excitedly, Naruto hugged Rikku close again and, before they could stop themselves, they found themselves kissing each other passionately once more. Naruto's hands ran up and down his new girlfriend's sides while hers dug into Naruto's hair. The two of them just couldn't get enough of the kisses and didn't want to part from one another right now!

Down below, a certain white-haired pervert couldn't help but smile as he watched the two of them. Way to go you two. I'm happy you two have found each other like this. Be happy my precious godson.

Flashback End

Chuckling a bit, Naruto nodded his head. "Yeah. I won't let anyone come between us Rikku-chan. If anyone dares to try and tell us that we don't belong together or tries to split us apart, we're going to make them suffer. If they thought my pranks were bad before, they're going to regret pissing us off for sure this time." Smirking evilly, the two of them began to chuckle darkly together while the others around them giggled a bit before piping up and saying that they'd help.

Jiraiya decided to interrupt their little moment together though. "Sorry to interrupt you two, but we should probably get going now. We've put this off long enough. Tsunade-hime's waiting for us and it wouldn't be wise to keep her waiting for too long. We are expected back today after all." He explained in an attempt to spur the group onwards.

Sighing softly, Naruto nodded and looked back towards the village. "Yeah, I know. I'm just not looking forward to going back to that same team with Sakura and Kakashi. I'd rather form a new team with Rikku-chan and my new friends here. Do you think Granny Tsunade would agree to something like that Jiraiya-sensei?" He asked.

Walking over to his godson/apprentice, the white-haired male placed a firm, yet gentle hand upon his shoulder and smiled at him. "Naruto, I'm sure if we sit down and explain things to her that she'll be willing to put together a new team for you. You would still need a jonin to join you, but I think forming a team with these girls is completely doable. Right now, let's just focus on getting back to the village and seeing Tsu-hime, okay?" Receiving a simple nod in return, Jiraiya smiled at his godson and walked ahead of him a bit. "Good. Now let's get going everybody. We're almost there and I'm looking forward to enjoying a good meal for a change rather than whatever we could scrounge together on Mount Myoboku before!" And with that being said, Jiraiya turned again and began walking once more in the direction of Konohagakure.

Naruto couldn't help but smile and look at the girls with him. "Well, you heard him girls. Let's get going! I sure hope I can convince her to put us all together on a team. I like you girls a lot more than I do my old team, and we've already proven we can work well together. I think if we can prove that to Tsunade-sama, we might get our wish granted. So let's get going. I want to show all of you my favorite places to visit in Konoha and introduce you to my friends!" And with that, Naruto, too, turned and began walking in the direction of his home village.

Konoha – Half an hour later

Upon reaching the village and checking in at the gate with the Eternal Chunin duo, Izumo and Kotetsu, Naruto and the gang began their trek through the streets of Konoha. They were making their way to the Hokage Tower, occasionally stopping to take in the sights. At the moment they were stopped outside of a store in the market district, looking towards the Hokage Monument. "Well wouldja look at that? They finally added Tsunade's face to the mountain Jiraiya-sensei!" Naruto shouted out with a bright grin on his face.

Smiling at his godson, Jiraiya nodded his head and looked back at the Hokage Monument as well. "I have to say, seeing her face up there just looks right. Doesn't it Naruto?"

"Damn right it does! She's the Godaime and she's a damn good Hokage too. I'm glad they added her face to the monument." Changing his gaze from the monument to the Hokage tower, Naruto's smile softened and he nodded his head. "I can't wait to see her again Jiraiya. I've missed her and Shizune both."

"I know what you mean Naruto. I know exactly what you mean." Jiraiya replied with a soft smile on his face. With a shrug of his shoulders, Jiraiya was about to continue leading them on when the group heard a female voice cry out: "Naruto!" from behind them. Turning around, they spied a pink-haired young woman come running up to them. Frowning just slightly, Jiraiya looked to his godson and wondered how he would handle seeing his old crush once again.

As soon as Sakura reached Naruto, she smiled at him and threw her arms around him, hugging him tight. Blinking in confusion at this, Naruto hesitantly hugged her back and patted her back a few times before he stepped back away from her. "S-Sakura? You okay? You never hug me."

Sakura couldn't help but notice the lack of the –chan suffix. Shaking it off, she smiled up at the now much taller man and took one of his hands in hers. "I'm just so happy to see you again! I've missed you a lot Naruto. It's good to have you back after all this time."

Glancing at his girlfriend, Naruto frowned a bit before looking around at the other girls in his party, each of them sporting confused frowns as well. Looking back into his old teammate's eyes, Naruto gently pried his hand from hers and forced a smile for her. "It's good to see you again as well Sakura. Listen, I'd love to stay and chat, but Tsunade-sama's kind of expecting to see us. Perhaps we could catch up later?"

Frowning in confusion at Naruto's attempted dismissal of her, Sakura shook her head and decided to try a different approach. "Let me walk with you. I need to see her anyways. Besides, this way I can fill you in on what's been going on since you've been away. Plus, you can introduce me to your new friends. I'd love to get to know them, especially if they're friends of yours Naruto."

Off to the side, Rikku was clenching one of her fists angrily. Could this girl be any more transparent?! I thought Naruto said she was interested in that stupid Uchiha jerk! Now she's making moves on my man?! I'll slice this bitch into pieces if she keeps this up!

Prying his arm free from Sakura's clutches, Naruto sweatdropped at the pinkette's behavior and finally just decided to ask her what she was doing. "Sakura, what's gotten into you? I thought you were in love with Sasuke. Now you're acting like this and being, well…'clingy' with me. What's going on?"

Pouting at this, Sakura looked into her teammate's eyes and spoke. "Naruto-kun, I've had three whole years to work out my feelings. During those three years, Tsunade-sama helped me come to terms with some things as well. She helped me realize that you were always there for me and that Sasuke really wasn't worth my attention. That promise I had you make? It's not worth it. I don't want to lose you because of some stupid promise to bring back a traitor that wants nothing to do with any of us. I missed you so much more than I thought I would Naruto-kun. Your smile brightened my day far more than I thought it did. Do you understand?"

Sighing softly, Naruto reached out and gently patted Sakura's shoulder. Smiling at her, he wrapped her in a hug and patted her back gently. "Sakura, while I'm happy you've matured and grown into a beautiful young woman…I can't return those feelings. Not anymore. I've…had time to get over you. I had time to come to terms with a lot of things and I realized during my time away that I'd never be to you what Sasuke was. I'm glad to know that you've gotten over him, but…"

Sighing again, Naruto released Sakura and walked over to Rikku. Looking into his girlfriend's eyes, the blonde ninja wrapped her up in a warm embrace and kissed her sweetly on the lips. After a moment of this, he turned and looked into Sakura's eyes. "I've got a girlfriend now Sakura. I'm sorry. I really, truly am very sorry. But it's too late." And with that being said, Naruto took hold of his girlfriend's hand and walked off with her and the others, leaving Sakura standing there, stunned, in the middle of the street.

As soon as Naruto's group had disappeared into the distance, Sakura fell to her knees and stared in the direction they had left in with tears falling down her cheeks. "N-No…Naruto-kun…no…" Bringing her hands to her face, the pinkette began to sob and break down while wondering why she couldn't have seen the truth sooner.

Hokage's Office

Tsunade couldn't help but raise a brow in question as she stared at the large group that had entered her office. Jiraiya and Naruto she had expected, but the five young women that had entered with them? Nope, they were completely unexpected. So, turning her gaze on Jiraiya, she voiced a question. "You've turned my godson into a pervert, haven't you? He's built himself a harem, hasn't he?"

Blushing ferociously at this, Naruto shouted, "What the hell Granny?! I'm not a pervert and I haven't built a harem! Just…just let us explain, alright? I promise that it'll make sense once you hear us out."

"Well, I sure as heck hope so. I wasn't expecting you to walk in here followed by five beautiful young women." Tsunade retorted with an amused smile on her face.

Jiraiya chuckled a bit and shook his head in exasperation. "Our godson has the ability to use something called magic. The Kyuubi knows how this is possible, but he hasn't exactly been forthcoming with the information. We're hoping that Naruto will be able to befriend the Kyuubi at some point to earn some answers, but that's a slow-going process right now."

With a shrug of his shoulders, Naruto continued from where his godfather left off. "Anyways, the reason all these lovely ladies are here is because of my magic. My time/space magic is powerful enough to open portals to other worlds and dimensions and suck people through them into our world. Girls, can you please introduce yourselves?"

Rikku smiled and wrapped her arms around her boyfriend's right arm before sending a wink at the older woman. "My name is Rikku. I'm from a world called Spira. Nice to meetcha Lady Tsunade! I'm your godson's girlfriend going on six months now!"

Meru giggled a bit before raising her hand and waving at the woman. "I'm Meru. I'm from a world full of magical creatures. Dragons, Dragoons, Winglies, Gigantos, etc. I, myself, am the Dragoon of Water and I happen to be a Wingly." At this, she showed her wings to the busty Godaime Hokage and hovered off of the ground.

Towa nodded her head to the Godaime at this point and introduced herself. "My name is Towa. I'm an ex-princess. My world was a fairly peaceful place except for the occasional bandit, a bitch time goddess, and a bunch of monsters that really weren't much of a threat. I'm Naruto's time/space magic instructor."

Yang and Blake waved at this point before Yang piped up. "Heya! I'm Yang and this is Blake. We're from a world called Remnant. Pretty good place overall except for a bunch of creatures called Grimm and the occasional terrorist. I guess the thing that makes us most different from your people is the fact that we have Aura while your people have Chakra. Also, Blake and I are girlfriends. Awesome, huh?"

"Yang! Why do you feel the need to tell everybody that?!" Blake shouted out with a deep blush on her face. She couldn't help but blush whenever Yang decided to point out that little fact to complete strangers. The cat Faunus loved her girlfriend, she truly did, but sometimes she wanted to throttle the brawler.

Blinking in shock and confusion from all the information, even the unnecessary bit at the end, Tsunade looked to Jiraiya for confirmation that everything she had just heard was, indeed, true. Receiving a nod in response, the blonde, busty Hokage reached into one of her desk drawers and pulled out a sake dish and a rather large bottle of sake and poured herself a drink. Downing it almost immediately, she released a sigh and began to chuckle. "Only you Naruto. Only you."

"Hey! It's not like it's intentional! All three times I created portals it was by accident. The first time was when I went into my four-tailed state and attacked Jiraiya-sensei. That was when Rikku and Meru were pulled from their worlds. Then came Towa. That was when Jiraiya-sensei told me about my parents and about me coming from a clan. Speaking of which, I want my inheritance Granny! But anyways, the third and final time was because I was trying to get the hang of my time/space magic and accidentally created another portal. That time both Yang and Blake were pulled through. So you see? It was all accidental and because of my poor control over my magic and my emotions." Naruto stated in defense of himself.

Shaking her head, Tsunade looked from her godson to his girlfriend. "So, you're my godson's girlfriend are you? I'd like to spend some time getting to know you later when I'm off work if that's alright with you?" Receiving a bright smile and a nod in response, Tsunade grinned in turn and nodded as well. "Good. Just know that I'm happy you've found each other. I want you happy Naruto. You really do deserve all the best this world has to offer you. Kami knows your life hasn't been the greatest in this village."

Shaking her head again to rid herself of the negative thoughts, the Godaime Hokage looked back into her godson's eyes. "Anyways, you wanted me to give you your inheritance, correct?" Receiving a nod in response to this query, Tsunade nodded and rose from her chair. Walking over to the Yondaime's portrait on the wall, the blonde Godaime removed it and motioned Naruto over to her. Pointing at the seal on the wall, she smiled at him. "Just wipe some blood on the seal and the contents should come right on out."

Doing as he was instructed, Naruto bit his thumb and swiped his bloody digit across the seal. When four scrolls popped out and landed in his hands, he smiled and looked into Tsunade's eyes. "Thank you Granny. Can somebody please show me to my parents' home? I'd prefer to move in there than to live in my old, dingy apartment."

"Sure thing Naruto. But first, I need to let you know that I'll have to hold a council meeting to inform them that you know of your heritage and that you're moving into your parents' estate. Knowing the civilian side of the council, they might try something. As for the shinobi council and the elders, I'm not sure what to expect from them. So be prepared for that, okay Naruto-kun?" Tsunade said as she drew her godson into a hug.

Nodding his head, Naruto hugged his godmother back and kissed her cheek. "I understand. Thank you Tsunade-sama. Before I go…I do have a favor to ask of you."

Blinking at this, Tsunade nodded and motioned for her godson to go on. "Sure Naruto-kun, go on and ask. If there's something I can do for you, I'd be glad to help. But first, I need to let you know that I'll need to test you to see where you stand amongst your peers. I need to see where to place you and determine how you work with a team after all this time."

Naruto frowned at this and rubbed at the back of his head. "Yeah, that's kind of what I wanted to talk with you about. I don't want to end up stuck on the same team again. I don't feel comfortable being on a team with Kakashi and Sakura again. While Sakura seems to have changed for the better, I like the team I have now. I work well with these girls and I'd like to form a new team with them. I understand that I'll probably need to work with a jonin as well, but I don't want Kakashi. He was lazy as can be and didn't bother training Sakura and me at all! He focused primarily on Sasuke and only bothered with crappy teamwork exercises that didn't work! The one thing he taught Sakura and I was the tree-climbing exercise, and then he just left us alone. And when I asked him for training for the one month reprieve in the Chunin Exams, he passed me off to a jonin that hates my guts! So I hope you can understand why I can't trust Kakashi to have my best interests in mind Tsunade-sama."

Staring at her godson with a gobsmacked expression on her face, Tsunade couldn't help but wonder something to herself. "Why didn't you tell me any of this before? If your team was truly that bad, why wait so long to do something about it Naruto-kun? I would have found you a better team! I would have done something to correct his behavior!"

Looking down at this point, Naruto chuckled dryly and shook his head. "Before I left, I was a complete idiot Granny. It wasn't until after these women with me began to help me that I realized just how broken my team really was. They helped me come to the decision to forego that stupid promise that I made to Sakura and they helped me get over that stupid crush on Sakura as well. I'm happier now than I've ever been before. I feel great, and I can definitely say that I will no longer take any of the crap I used to before. If people cross me, there will be hell to pay, I guarantee it."

Smiling down at her godson, Tsunade hugged him tight and nodded her head. "I'm glad. I was so worried about you Naruto. I'm glad that these girls have had such a positive effect on you. But I do hope you aren't planning to do anything too malicious to those that wrong you in the village. I can't have you go around killing people, you know?"

Shaking his head at this, Naruto simply smiled up at his godmother. "Nope. I wouldn't go around killing anyone just because they pissed me off somehow. Instead they'll be meeting the Prankster King from Hell once again. They'll regret ever crossing me, I guarantee it. And I have these girls here with me to help me do it too!"

Before Tsunade could say anything, Rikku threw her hand up into the air and began hopping up and down slightly. "Yuppers! I've heard about the treatment my guy's had to put up with here in Konoha and there's no way I'm going to tolerate any stupid meanies picking on him again! From now on, we're going to pay those suckers back and prank them so hard they'll regret ever getting out of bed in the morning!" She declared with a big grin on her face.

At hearing this, Tsunade's eyes widened a bit before she turned to Jiraiya in horror. "Oh Kami, there's two of them now. You could have sent me a warning via your toads Jiraiya!"

Smirking at her, Jiraiya shook his head and chuckled. "Nope. It was way more fun for you to find out this way. I got to see your reactions in person this way." He explained with a wry grin on his face.

Sighing at this, Tsunade decided to get back onto the topic they were on before, just so she wouldn't have to think about the possibility of some kind of pranking spree breaking out in her village. "Anyways Naruto, while I can agree to letting you form a team with these women here, I still need to assign a jonin to your team. I promise that you won't be stuck with Kakashi, and I promise you that I will be having a few words with that fool of a shinobi after what you've told me. Give me a few days and I promise that I'll have the perfect jonin for your team, okay? Of course, your team will have to be tested, so once I get the jonin selected for your team, I'll have him test you as well. Can you agree to these terms?" Receiving an affirmative nod in response, the blonde Hokage nodded in turn and smiled kindly at her godson. "Good. Now Jiraiya, could you please escort Naruto and his little girlfriends to their new home since I assume they'll be living with him?"

"Sure thing Tsu-hime. C'mon Naruto, let's get you moved into your parents' place. Do you have anything at your apartment you'd like to move into your new place?" Jiraiya questioned.

Taking a moment to think on it, Naruto shrugged his shoulders and looked into his godfather's eyes. "Honestly? I don't think so, but it couldn't hurt to check. I might have a few things there that I might want to bring over that I can't remember off the top of my head. Still, I really don't have much there that's worth anything. It wasn't really a true home to me. It was just some place that I lived in that got broken into on occasion. I learned to hide anything of any real value and kept most everything that I didn't want stolen or broken on my person."

Nodding in understanding, Jiraiya shrugged his shoulders. "Still, like you said, it couldn't hurt to check. We'll stop by your old apartment first, pack up anything you want to keep, and head off to your new estate. See you later Tsu-hime. And by the way, I'm sure you probably already know, but Kakashi's been sitting outside the window almost the entire time we've been in here talking. Might want to call him in and have that 'talk' after we've left." With a wave good-bye, Jiraiya left the office with his godson and his female friends, leaving the Godaime Hokage alone in her office.

As soon as the door to her office had closed, Tsunade glanced towards the window and narrowed her eyes. "Kakashi, I know you're out there. Get in here. Now." Once the silver-haired jonin had entered her office and closed the window behind him, she pointed towards one of the chairs across from her. "You and I need to have a little 'talk'." Seeing Kakashi gulp nervously caused the busty blonde to smirk devilishly. That's right. You're in deep shit now Kakashi.

Uzumaki-Namikaze Estate – Two Hours Later

Naruto and the girls were currently sitting in the living room, staring at the four scrolls sitting upon the table between them. Naruto hadn't brought much over to the estate from his old apartment; just a few knickknacks and old mementos of his happier times in Konoha, but nothing of any major importance. Right now though he was debating on which of the scrolls to open first.

Deciding on just going in order from left to right, he picked up the further on the left and unrolled it. Upon doing so, he noticed a seal in the middle of the scroll. So, pouring his chakra into the seal, the blonde watched as a number of tri-pronged kunai appeared in mid-air and clattered to the floor around him. Along with that, a journal and a letter appeared as well.

Setting the journal on the table, Naruto proceeded to help the girls collect all the tri-pronged kunai and put them together in a neat pile beside the table. After doing so, he opened the letter and began to read it aloud.

"Dear Naruto,

If you're reading this, it means that I'm no longer amongst the living. I wanted to be there to raise you personally, but it seems that it was not meant to be. The first thing I want to say to you is that I love you son. I wish dearly that I could have been there to tell you that in person, but a letter will have to suffice.

I'm afraid I don't have much time, so I'll have to make this letter brief. On the night of your birth, a masked man with a Sharingan eye attacked and released the Kyuubi from your mother's seal. I did what I could and managed to chase him off, but I wish I could have done more. It is his fault that the Kyuubi attacked Konoha on the night of your birth.

Enough of that though. I want to apologize to you, my son. I know it can't have been easy, growing up in Konoha knowing that you've had to live the life of a jinchuriki. I wanted you to be seen as a hero, but I know how people can be. I would ask you to forgive them for their ignorance, but I won't do that. Just know that whatever you choose to do and whatever path you may take, I love you son and I always will. Know that I'm proud of you my dear son.

I have left you all of my Hiraishin kunai and my notes on the Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique) as well so that you may one day learn how to utilize the technique for yourself. Perhaps you can one day improve upon it. Just in case my sensei hasn't taught you yet, I also left instructions in my journal on how to use the Rasengan (Spiraling Sphere). These techniques should help prepare you for whatever may come. I also hope that you can complete the Rasengan whereas I could not. Make me proud, my wonderful son.

I have to go now. I love you. ~Your father, Minato Namikaze"

Naruto found himself smiling after reading the letter from his father. He could understand where his father was coming from a bit better now. He didn't want this life for his son, but he could also tell that his father wanted only the best for him. But something troubled him about what he read, "A man with a Sharingan eye? Did an Uchiha unleash the Kyuubi upon Konoha? But…why?"

Shaking his head of that thought and deciding to file it away for later, Naruto smiled gratefully at his girlfriend when she gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze to try and comfort him. "I'm okay Rikku-chan. Thank you. I just…I wish I could have met them." Taking a deep breath, Naruto reached over and grabbed the second scroll. "Let's see what my mother had to say, shall we?" He said as he opened the scroll.

Pouring chakra into the seal in the middle, Naruto watched as a letter popped out, along with two more scrolls. Glancing at the scrolls with a curious eye, Naruto was tempted to open them, but decided against it for the time being. Instead, he picked up the letter and opened it, deciding to read this one aloud as well.

"Dear Naruto-kun,

Hi sweetie, this is your darling mother! I wish I could have been there for you growing up, but unfortunately, it seems I'm probably dead if you're reading this letter. I want you to know that no matter what, I love you and I always, always will. You're my darling baby boy and what mother wouldn't love her child? Well, besides a terrible one, but that's not the point!

Anyways, I wanted to give you some motherly advice on a few things! First, don't fall into the traps so many ninja do! Money, women, arrogance, etc. All bad things. Spend your money wisely. Save it and only spend your money on things you really need okay? It's okay to splurge every once in a while if you really want to, but I don't want you going crazy with it!

Women? I don't want you going after the wrong kind of woman. We've left you a lot of money, and a lot of women go after men simply because they have all that money. Other women go after men because of their heritage. So be careful about the type of women you spend your time with. Try to find a woman like me, one that will make you happy and treat you right okay? Unfortunately, I have to warn you about something sweetie…

There's something called the CRA, or Clan Restoration Act, that you might end up being forced into at some point in your life. You are the last Uzumaki in the village, and you're the only child of your father and me, two very famous ninja. Whether you know it or not, you're very important to the village and a lot of people will find themselves very interested in you. Well, the CRA is something that is used to ensure that a clan doesn't go extinct. With this…a male member is made to take multiple wives while a female…well…I won't go into that. Point is, if you're put into the CRA, you're going to end up having to take multiple wives.

What I want you to do if this happens is to tell them that you get to choose who you be with and that you'll choose when you get married, when you'll have children, etc. Do not let them dictate who you marry, how many children you have, when you have children…don't let them dictate any of that! Okay honey?

Anyways, on to the final point I wanted to make. Arrogance. Just because you're powerful and come from a lineage of powerful people and powerful parents, don't let it go to your head. It's important to be humble. Your father and I were always training ourselves and doing our best to stay in shape so we could protect those dear to us. We never grew complacent and we always knew that there was a chance we could run into somebody that could one day beat us. So I want you to continue to grow stronger for the ones you love. Got it mister?!

Sweetie, I know your mother has rambled on about a lot of things, but I promise this letter's almost finished. I just have a few more things to say. I'm sure you've noticed the two scrolls that came along with this letter. One has instructions on how to utilize my Adamantine Sealing Chains, which you will find very useful if you can utilize them, I assure you. The second scroll contains instructions on how to utilize our clan's kekkei genkai, if you manage to unlock it. Otherwise, you can just ignore that one.

I think that's pretty much everything I wanted to say sweetheart. Just…just know that I love you and I always will. I'm sure that you've already made me incredibly proud of you, but let me just say it here: I'm proud of you sweetheart and I always will be.

~With love, your mother, Kushina Uzumaki"

After finishing the letter, Naruto put it down on the table and found himself blinking from the shock of what he just read. Looking into his girlfriend's eyes, he could see that she was looking just a tad furious at the thought of the CRA. "Sweetie? Are you okay?"

Rikku took a few deep breaths to calm herself before she turned to look into her boyfriend's eyes. "No Naruto…not really. Just the thought of having to share you hurts me. I hope they don't enact the CRA on you, but if they do…I want you to promise me something, okay honey?"

Nodding his head, Naruto wrapped his girlfriend in a warm hug and smiled sweetly at her in an effort to calm her down. "Rikku-chan, I'd do anything for you, you know that. What do you want me to do?"

"If…if they do enact the CRA on you…we decide together who gets to join. Okay? I won't share you with anyone I don't approve of. I won't just have you creating a harem of girls and adding them all willy-nilly like a certain perverted godfather of yours." Rikku said while narrowing her eyes at said godfather who simply raised his hands up in the air and waved them as if saying not to bring him into it.

"I wouldn't do such a thing to you Rikku-chan. Ever. I love you, you know that. If I do get forced into the CRA, you and I will decide together who will join us. Heck, if you don't feel comfortable with it, I can just say 'fuck it' and try to find some way out of it if you really want?" Naruto suggested, only to receive a shake of the head from his girlfriend.

"No Naruto…I don't want you creating even more friction between you and the village than there already is. I'll…I'll…I'll make do, okay? I love you more than anything, just…" Rikku was struggling to get her words out as tears began to form in her eyes.

Holding her close, Naruto pressed his lips to hers in a tender kiss before using his fingers to gently wipe away her tears. "Hush. No crying now, okay? Let's not focus on what if's right now." Turning to his godfather, Naruto raised an eyebrow and motioned towards the scrolls. "So how come you didn't tell me about a possible kekkei genkai Pervy Sage? I didn't know my clan had such a thing."

Shrugging his shoulders, Jiraiya's lips twitched upwards slightly before he chuckled sheepishly. "Honestly? I didn't know anything about it. This is the first I've heard of such a thing in the Uzumaki clan. I'm sure if you have a kekkei genkai, it'll be unlocked sooner or later, just give it time." He explained before motioning to the remaining scrolls. "Anyways, why don't you see what's in the last two scrolls? I'm sure one of them contains all the money they left for you, but I don't know what the last one could be."

Nodding his head, Naruto picked up the third scroll and sat back down with Rikku sitting on his lap, much to his embarrassment and her chagrin. Smirking back at him, Rikku shifted herself a bit so her rear grinded against his crotch, causing his member to begin to harden in his pants. "R-Rikku-chan…why?"

"Because it's fun, silly! Why else?" She chirped. "Now open the scroll, I want to see what's inside!"

Groaning, Naruto nodded his head slowly before opening the scroll and looking at the many seals scattered across the paper. "Looks like Jiraiya-sensei's right. This one contains all the money for sure. Let's see what the fourth scroll contains then." Setting the third scroll back upon the table after rolling it back up, Naruto grabbed the fourth scroll and opened it, pouring his chakra into the seal.

When a bunch of books popped out, Naruto blinked and picked one of them up. Opening it, Naruto grinned brightly and began to giggle excitedly. "Pervy Sage! These are all their books and notes on fuinjutsu! This is awesome, dattebayo!"

Smiling at his godson, Jiraiya was about to speak, but found himself pausing as they each heard a knock at the door. Quickly sealing everything away again, Naruto hid his things and watched as Jiraiya went and opened the door. There stood an ANBU agent with long, violet-colored hair. "Good afternoon Lord Jiraiya. Is Naruto here?"

Sighing, Naruto moved his girlfriend off of his lap, much to her annoyance, and rose from his chair. Walking over to the door, he waved at Yugao and smiled at her. "Heya there. Good to see you again Cat. What's up?"

Frowning behind her mask, Yugao looked down on her younger brother figure and decided to break the news to him. "You're needed in the council chambers Naruto-kun. I've been sent to retrieve you. Lord Jiraiya has been asked to attend as well by Godaime-sama, but your guests will have to remain here I'm afraid. Sorry Naruto-kun."

Sighing at this, Naruto glanced back at his girlfriend. "Sorry sweetheart, it looks like I have to go for a little while. I'll be back later. If my guess is correct about what this is about…" Shaking his head, Naruto gritted his teeth for a moment and clenched his fists tight. "I'm not going to like this, am I Cat nee-san?"

Shaking her head, Yugao placed her hand on Naruto's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I doubt it Naruto-kun." Looking into Jiraiya's eyes, the ANBU captain nodded her head before the three vanished using the Body Flicker Technique.

Rikku looked around at the others and frowned. "Why do I have the feeling that I'm not going to like what's about to happen to my boyfriend?"

"Because from the tone of her voice, we could all tell that it's likely nothing good that he's going to have to deal with from those people." Blake said as she folded her arms under her bust as she scowled at nothing.

"From what Naruto's told us, I don't think he's ever been a council meeting where something positive has happened to him. I guess all we can do is hope for the best this time." Towa stated, although she knew that was asking for the impossible. Still, she received reluctant nods all around, each of them hoping that nothing too terrible would happen at this council meeting.

A/N - Yes, I decided to make Tsunade Naruto's godmother in this fic. Again. I just like the idea of her being Naruto's godmother. Don't get on my case about it. :P

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I don't really have much to say this time around. I'm going in for surgery in a couple of days so I don't know how often I'll be updating considering I'm going to be in freaking PAIN afterwards. Last time I had to get surgery for this damn problem I was in major pain for at least a week if I remember correctly. So yeaaaah.

Anywho, hopefully this was a good enough chapter for ya. Up next is chapter 4, so be looking forward to it. :)